Return to Aenir
by Word of a Sayre
Summary: When the Icecarls return to the Castle, Malen sneaks off with a Sunstone and goes into Aenir, which is now forbidden. What business does she have there? And Crow's alive! [CrowMalen]
1. Way to Aenir

****

Author's Note- Well, here it is, folks. ^^ My first Seventh Tower fanfic. Hmm… I know the coupling of Crow/Malen is pretty much unheard of, but I've taken a great liking to it. ^_^ Don't ask me how, I just think Crow needs someone… and Ta/Milla is the obvious coupling, so I thought, 'What about Malen?' And, poof! Crow/Malen was born. ^^ Hope you enjoy.

****

Copyright- I don't own Seventh Tower or its characters. They belong to Garth Nix, whom I worship. 

Return to Aenir

Chapter One- Way to Aenir

"Malen! Where are you going?" 

The young Crone stopped dead in her tracks. "I am going to the Emperor's residence, Sangel," 

"Ah," replied the one who had spoken. Sangel was also a Crone, but a much older Crone than Malen. She smiled lightly, her eyes sparkling. "Milla has already left to visit that boy… I assume you wish to accompany her?"

Malen looked at her through pale blue eyes. She was about to respond and say, 'No, that's not what I wanted to do,' but she decided against it. Saying something like that would only lead to more questions, and Malen couldn't afford that. Not with what she planned to do, at least. 

"Yes," Malen replied humbly, bowing her head slightly. "I wish to visit Tal and the others."

"Very well then," Sangel nodded, smiling knowingly. "Please return in time for the ceremonies tonight… the Chosen are holding a banquet in honor of our return," 

Malen nodded, hardly hearing any of it. She was far too set on her task at hand and what it would require. 

She darted out the door and down the hall, much less dignified than a Crone should be. 

The Icecarls had returned to the Castle after a circling, as they had promised they would. The Chosen of the Castle had welcomed them, overjoyed. The aforementioned celebration had been scheduled immediately, and the Icecarls had taken temporary residence inside the Castle. 

Malen's plan would not work if the banquet did not take place. 

Dashing down the halls of the Red Tower, Malen looked around, making sure nobody was about. 

There wasn't a soul in sight. Malen thanked the Crone for that.

She ducked into a storage room, which was basically empty, save for a few boxes and brooms…

Taking a deep breath, Malen pulled a treasure from her pocket- a glowing stone, about the size of her fist… 

It was a Sunstone. 

Malen had taken it from the Icecarl ship that morning while everyone else was entering the Castle. With everyone else on their way off the ship, it had been simple. 

With the Sunstone, she could enter Aenir. Which was, of course, forbidden.

Not wasting a moment, Malen propped herself against the wall behind the boxes. If anyone entered the storage room, which was unlikely, she wouldn't be seen. Gripping the Sunstone tightly in her shaking hands, Malen closed her eyes.

She remembered exactly how Ebbitt had taken her into Aenir after the battle atop the Violet Tower. She'd been terrified then, and could hardly follow Ebbitt's words, but strangely, she remembered them exactly now. 

She raised the Sunstone and began to recite the Way to Aenir. At the same time, the stone flashed with the colors that would begin the transfer. The hues poured over her, and she felt them course through her body, warm and somehow welcoming…

To complete the transfer, Malen fixed the image of the Old Khamsoul's spire in her mind. It was there that she would emerge in Aenir. 

  
~*~

****

End Note- Whee! ^_^ Well, that's chapter one. Sorry it's so short… it will get more interesting from here. Review? Please? 0_0


	2. The Khamsoul's Truth

****

Author's Note- Well, here's chapter two. ^^ I think it's better… not to mention longer. And yay! Crow's back!! ^_^ Hope you enjoy! Remember to leave a nice little REVIEW when you're done… ^_~

****

Disclaimer- I don't own them, and I never will. Garth Nix does. XP

Chapter Two-

The Khamsoul's Truth

For her first time going into Aenir, Malen did a fine job. She emerged atop the spire inside the Old Khamsoul, the torrent of wind swirling around her at impossible speed. Looking around, Malen remembered with a heavy heart what had happened there…

The battle with Sharrakor. 

She remembered the Shadowdragon's clawed foot coming down on her, slamming her head onto the hard ground and pushed against her throat. Unable to move, she'd lay there, powerless…

She watched through dimming vision as Crow delivered the final blow, smashing the bottle of caveroach poison in Sharrakor's face…

From there, Malen had blacked out and seen no more. 

She also remembered waking up, and finding that Crow had disappeared… Tal and Milla had told him what had happened. Crow was dead; he'd fallen with Sharrakor. 

Biting her lip against the memory, Malen stared at the whirlwind that surrounded her. She trusted Tal and Milla completely, of course, but she had to know first hand that Crow was dead. She didn't think he could go that easily. 

And she wondered why she cared so much. Malen had only spoken with Crow a few times; mainly the one instance where he'd overexerted himself climbing the Violet Tower… 

There, on the stairs of the highest of all Towers, Crow had made a sort of promise to her. 

_"The next time you see me, I'll be more than a Freefolk boy, Icecarl. After Sharrakor is defeated, after this is all over…"_

Of course, he'd been somewhat delirious, but… 

She smiled at that memory, but banished it momentarily, not wanting to get her hopes up. Still, what he'd said… it sounded like something he _would _fulfill, and not die before completing. 

And if he hadn't died on his promise, Malen was yet to see him again.

Returning to her original intention, Malen frowned. She was going to find out the truth about Crow… and she was going to find out from the one who could tell nothing but the truth.

The wind of the Old Khamsoul howled in Malen's ears.

Standing at the edge of the spire, Malen shouted, "Khamsoul! I… I have a question!"

The wind remained the same, but a deep, gentle voice, like the sound of distant thunder, rose above it. "Yes, Malen, Crone of the Icecarls? I will grant you one question, one answer. That is all."

Malen paused. She knew what she wanted to ask, but did she really want to know the answer? Did she really want to risk letting go of that one strand of hope that he was alive…? 

"What… what became of Crow, First of the Freefolk…?" Malen asked shakily. 

There was a seemingly lengthy pause.

"He fell from this very spire during the battle with the Shadowdragon, Sharrakor," the Khamsoul replied, his voice lazy. "However, the dragon's body broke his fall… though the caveroach poison would have killed him, he asked me with his final breath how he could stay alive."

Malen held her breath.

"The one called Crow took heed of my answer and drank the blood of Sharrakor. The blood of a Spiritshadow healed his wounds, and he lives."

Gasping for breath, Malen fell to her knees. It was true! Crow was alive! And to think, the blood of the Shadowdragon had saved him! Gaping open-mouthed with joy, she asked in a trembling voice, "Where is he?"

There was no reply. Malen grimly remembered the Khamsoul's words: One question, one answer. 

She turned slowly around, she thought, 'If he's alive, where could Crow have gone…? Should I go back to tell Tal and-'

Malen looked up, and gasped. The answer came to her faster than she'd expected.

Crow was sitting at the other side of the spire, watching her with the faintest of smiles on his lips.

Her eyes wide, Malen uttered his name, but it came out as a sob. She ran to him, throwing her arms around the boy's shoulders. 

Crow let her cling to him for a moment, silent. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away, looking at her, grinning his smug grin. "I never reckoned I'd see you again," he said, though there was a hint of pleasure in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Malen replied breathlessly. Up close, she saw that Crow hadn't changed much… his feather was still there, he didn't look much older, and he was still wearing the same clothes, though they were ragged and torn. However, his eyes were sharper, keener… and strange, misshapen scars ran completely up his left arm, traveling up his neck and to his chin as well.

Crow must have caught her looking at them, and he grinned somewhat sheepishly, running a hand along the scars. "Caveroach poison," he said matter-of-factly. 

Malen nodded, still overcome with shock. "Crow, this is great… you're alive… I can take you back to the Castle… Tal and Milla will be so happy… here, we'll go now…" she reached into her pocket and withdrew the Sunstone.

Crow looked at it sadly and shook his head. "I can't go back, Malen," 

The Crone girl looked at him, confused. "What do you mean…? Of course you can…! You don't want to stay here, do you…?"

"Of course not!" Crow shouted, somewhat irritated. "Who _would_ want to stay here, in their right mind?"

"Then why…"

"Because I'm bound here," the boy replied bitterly. "Sharrakor's blood bound me to Aenir. I can't leave."

All of the happiness, hope, and excitement that had filled Malen when she'd see Crow alive suddenly drained out of her. She sat down and looked hopelessly into the swirling Khamsoul. "There must be some way…" 

Crow chuckled dryly. "You think I haven't looked for one, Icecarl? There isn't a way. I'm bound here until I die." 

Silence fell between them. Malen thought. 

_There has to be a way. _

"Ask the Khamsoul," she said suddenly, her eyes widening. 

"Can't," replied Crow, irritated. "One question, one answer. I suppose you can only get one question answered each time you come to Aenir. I haven't _left_ the place, so I can't ask another question."

"Then…" protested Malen. "We'll just get someone else to ask for you!" 

The Freefolk boy looked at her. "Who? Some Spiritshadow? Yes, that will work. It won't kill us or anything,"

Malen gave him a pained expression and thought. Spiritshadows, no… but there were other creatures in Aenir, right? 

_Zicka!_

"Crow!" Malen exclaimed, excited. "We have to go to Kurshken Corner!" 

Crow stared at her. "_What?_"

"Zicka…!" Malen practically shouted, grinning up at the boy. "The Kurshkens… they'll help!"

~*~

****

End Note- Heh, I love Zicka. ^_^ Not really a cliffhanger, but it woulda messed up the next chapter if I'd made it any longer. ^^;; Review!! *waves banner with bold letters spelling, "R-E-V-I-E-W!"*


End file.
